1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods for control of fluid flow from subterranean formations into a production string in a wellbore.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hydrocarbons such as oil and gas are recovered from subterranean formations using a well or wellbore drilled into such formations. In some cases the wellbore is completed by placing a casing along the wellbore length and perforating the casing adjacent each production zone (hydrocarbon bearing zone) to extract fluids (such as oil and gas) from such a production zone. In other cases, the wellbore may be open hole, and in a particular case may be used for injection of steam or other substances into a geological formation. One or more flow control devices are placed in the wellbore to control the flow of fluids from the formation into the wellbore. These flow control devices and production zones are generally fluidly isolated or separated from each other by installing a packer between them. Fluid from each production zone entering the wellbore is drawn into a tubular that runs to the surface. The fluid from a formation (“formation fluid”) often includes solid particles, generally referred to as the “sand”. Flow control devices generally include a sand screen that inhibits flow of solids above a certain size. Also, it is desirable to have a substantially even flow of fluid along the production zone. Uneven fluid flow may result in undesirable conditions such as invasion of a gas cone or water cone. Water or gas flow into the wellbore can significantly reduce the amount and quality of the production of oil.
Horizontal wellbores are often drilled into a production zone to extract fluid therefrom. Several flow control devices are placed spaced apart along such a wellbore to drain formation fluid. Formation fluid often contains a layer of oil, a layer of water below the oil and a layer of gas above the oil. A horizontal wellbore is typically placed above the water layer. The boundary layers of oil, water and gas may not be even along the entire length of the horizontal wellbore. Also, certain properties of the formation, such as porosity and permeability, may not be the same along the horizontal wellbore length. Therefore, fluid between the formation and the wellbore may not flow evenly through the inflow control devices. For production wellbores, it is desirable to have a relatively even flow of the production fluid into the wellbore. To produce optimal flow of hydrocarbons from a wellbore, production zones may utilize flow control devices with differing flow characteristics.
Flow control devices generally include a sand screen and an inflow control device. The sand screen is used to inhibit flow of solid, such as rock pieces into the production tubing. The inflow control device controls the flow of the formation fluid into production tubing and to produce optimal fluid from each production zone. Sand screens generally are formed by placing stand offs axially on a tubular and then wrapping a wire around the standoffs. The spacing between the adjacent wire wraps defines grain size that is inhibited from flowing through the sand screen. The inflow control devices may be active devices, such as sliding sleeve valves, or passive devices. The active inflow control devices are relatively expensive and include moving parts, which require maintenance and may not be very reliable over the life of the wellbore. Passive flow control devices do not have moving parts. Such devices are used to control the flow of the fluids into the wellbore. Both the active and passive inflow control devices are produced as separate units and then placed inside the sand screen during assembly of the flow control device. Such devices are expensive and can require substantial radial space, which can reduce the internal diameter available for the production tubing for the flow of the hydrocarbons to the surface.
The present disclosure provides flow control device that utilize a sand screen that includes integrated standoffs for providing axial flow paths an methods of using the same.